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Letter: Warmer crust

Published 12 June 2013

From Eric Kvaalen

Iain Climie writes that even if net greenhouse gas emissions became neutral, climate change would still occur because there is a “time lag of decades between changes in gas levels and temperature changes” (25 May, p 31). It’s worth noting that the atmosphere only takes a couple of months to heat up or cool down in response to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

However, Earth’s crust and oceans would continue to warm – not just for decades but for centuries. This would have an effect on sea level, but not much effect on air temperatures.

Les Essarts-le-Roi, France

Issue no. 2921 published 15 June 2013

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